Greetings, Love Scent fans!

This week, we’re going to take another look at some recent pheromone science: in this case, the relationship between Androstadienone and generosity.

Androstadienone is a pheromone found in male sweat and semen. It’s a particularly interesting pheromone because our responses to it are influenced by both our gender and sexual orientation: gay men and straight women have strong responses to Androstadienone, while gay women and straight men have more subdued responses. It can also make people more attune to emotional information in some circumstances, and has been shown to have strong effects on women’s moods in particular.

And there’s one more important thing you can add to the list of Androstadienone’s effects: it makes people, especially women, more generous.

A recent study took a look at the relationship between Androstadienone and generosity. A group of study participants were exposed to two fragrances: limonene (a compound found in citrus peels), and a combination of limonene and Androstadienone. They were then asked to play a game that tested their generosity: a game commonly used in research studies called the “Dictator Game.” The researchers then measured whether Androstadienone affected the participants’ mood and generosity.

Despite its slightly scary-sounding name, the Dictator Game is simple and straightforward: players are given an amount of money (in this case, anywhere from 8 to 24 euros), and then asked how much money they would like to share with a person in a photograph (who they haven’t met). The money is real, and participants get to keep what they don’t give away.

Despite common beliefs that humans are inherently selfish, studies involving the Dictator Game have shown that people are usually willing to share some of their money with strangers they’ve never met–on average, about 28% of that money. There is some variation in generosity among demographic groups (women, for example, typically give more away than men, and students–perhaps unsurprisingly, given their tight budgets–tend to keep more of the cash for themselves), but almost everyone is willing to share some of their money with someone they haven’t met.

Using the simple premise of the Dictator Game, researchers were able to test whether Androstadienone affected people’s generosity. After being exposed to either the limonene or the limonene/Androstadienone mix, study participants were asked to rate their mood. They then played the Dictator Game and chose how much money they were going to give to strangers. Researchers then repeated the experiment two days later, with the participants who had been exposed to only limonene now being exposed to the limonene/Androstadienone mix, and vice versa.

The results of this study are very interesting. First, it confirmed that Androstadienone has a positive effect on women’s moods: women were significantly more likely to report a positive mood change after being exposed to Androstadienone as opposed to limonene. Men, on the other hand, actually had a mildly negative mood change after being exposed to Androstadienone, and were more likely than women to have a positive mood change after exposure to limonene. We’ve known that Androstadienone can have a mild depressive effect on men, and this research confirms it. Men should therefore be careful with how much Androstadienone they use, as too much can have negative effects on their mental wellness.

Second, the study found that Androstadienone made both men and women more generous while playing the Dictator Game. Women had the largest gains in generosity, but men were also more generous than usual after exposure to Androstadienone. And because Androstadienone had a negative impact on men’s moods, the pro-generosity effects of the pheromone can’t simply be explained away by assumptions that people would be more generous when they’re in better moods: the pheromone made men more generous even when it made them feel worse overall.

In short, it appears that Androstadienone directly makes people more generous; it doesn’t just make people feel better and therefore increase the likelihood that they will be more willing to share what they have with strangers.

So what does this mean for pheromone users like you? Well, first of all, it has important implications for Androstadienone and pro-social behavior. Generosity with money is an indication that someone cares about those around them, even people they’ve never met and will probably never see again. These general feelings can be transferred to other social situations. This means that Androstadienone can help people form closer, stronger, more significant bonds, even with people they’re not necessarily in a sexual or romantic relationship with.

Women can take these findings as an example of the powerful self-effects Androstadienone can have on them. If you need to improve your social skills in any area of your life, are in need of a mood boost, or want to get along better with family and friends and colleagues, a dab of Androstadienone under the nose can have very positive impacts on your behavior and mood.

Men should be interested in how Androstadienone particularly effects people’s generosity and mood: it can be a very useful pheromone when deepening or intensifying a bond with a partner, and can make both partners more generous with one another. However, men should also use caution, as too much Androstadienone can have a negative effect on their mood–something that isn’t good for anyone. “Less is more” is always a good rule with pheromones, but men using Androstadienone for any purpose should be especially sure to stick to that rule.

Now, if you’d like to add some Androstadienone to your pheromone collection, we have several ways to do that!

 

1. Pure Androstadienone ($49.95)

The easiest way to experiment with the effects of Androstadienone in your life is to purchase the pure thing. We have pure Androstadienone in 6 ml bottles ($49.95); it’s also included in the Fab 4 Chem Set ($99.95), along with several other pure pheromones.

Remember: pure pheromones, Androstadienone included, don’t smell that great on their own. Be sure to combine with a cover fragrance for best results!

Apply Androstadienone under the nose for self-effects, and to the wrists and throat to have an effect on others. 1 drop is all most people need to start seeing effects.

Try pure Androstadienone today!

 

2. New Pheromone Additive for Men ($44.95)

The New Pheromone Additive for Men is an unscented pheromone concentrate containing 2 mg of the strong sex pheromone AndrosteNONE, 1 mg of the “icebreaker” social pheromone AndrosteNOL, and a modest 0.5 mg of AndrostaDIENONE. The mild Androstadienone content makes this a good choice for men who want to watch the amount of Androstadienone they’re exposing themselves to. It’s also a high-quality and dependable pheromone additive that is popular with men of all kinds.

NPA for Men has a natural musky smell similar to body odor, so men using it should definitely plan to use a cover fragrance. Apply wherever you normally apply cologne, plus a dab under the nose if you’re interested in self-effects.

If you’re interested in versatile product that combines Androstadienone with other powerful pheromones, NPA for Men is an excellent choice. Order a 10 ml dripper bottle for $44.95 today!

 

3. Phero-X ($49.95)

 

If you’re interested in a pheromone cologne with an astonishingly extensive pheromone profile, Phero-X is for you. This product contains 10 different pheromones, including Androstadienone, and a distinctive cover fragrance. Users report strong positive effects on women in particular.

Because Phero-X is already scented, you do not need to combine it with a cover fragrance. Spread 1-2 drops between your pulse points (wrists, throat, and behind the ears) and you’re good to go.

Phero-X is a good choice for people who want a diverse pheromone cologne that also contains the power of Androstadienone. Order a 5 ml eyedropper bottle for $49.95 now!

UPDATE: We no longer carry Phero-X. If you are looking for a product with a good mix of Androstadienone and other pheromones, you can try New Pheromone Additive for Men or the ever-popular Chikara Pheromone Cologne for Men.

 

There you have it, Love Scent fans: some of the latest research into Androstadienone, and how you can bring it into your own life! We hope you experiment with the powerful effects of this pheromone soon!

 

Have you used Androstadienone in the past? How did it affect you and those around you? Do you plan to start using it now that you know more about how it can affect you? Let us know in the comments! As always, you can also contact us directly with any questions, comments, or concerns. And be sure to subscribe to our newsletter to be the first to hear about blog posts, exclusive promotions, new products, and more!

 

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

 

References:

1. Berglund, Hans, Per Lindström, and Ivanka Savic. Brain Response to Putative Pheromones in Lesbian Women. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 103.21 (2006): 8269–8274.

2. Savic, Ivanka et al. Brain response to putative pheromones in homosexual men. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 102 20 (2005): 7356-61.

3. Hummer TA, McClintock MK. Putative human pheromone androstadienone attunes the mind specifically to emotional information. Horm Behav. 2009;55(4):548–59.

4. Bensafi M, Tsutsui T, Khan R, Levenson RW, Sobel N. Sniffing a human sexsteroid derived compound affects mood and autonomic arousal in a dose-dependent manner. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2004b;29:1290–1299.

5. Perrotta, Valentina et al. The Putative Chemosignal Androstadienone Makes Women More Generous. Journal of neuroscience, psychology, and economics 9.2 (2016): 88–99.